I wasn't expecting that
by peroquenotevean
Summary: There are a few things that Jackson doesn't expect from life, for example, an alien invasion and robots conquering the world. On the other hand, he wasn't expecting to turn into the proud owner of a cute ball of fur and to fall in love with his nerdy, shy, cute best friend, but that is exactly what happened


**Day 7: Free choice (fluffy story in an AU?)**

 **So, here is the thing, I wanted to write a story for the Japril week, I wanted something short and sweet as a way of goodbye for Japril, and well I wanted something special. Fluff is not my thing, I don't read it and I don't write it, so I decided to challenge myself to write one. I struggle a lot so I thought, what can't be more fluffy that a kitten? Jackson with a kitten, and here it is this thing that I don't know very well where it fits. Also, as fluff is not my thing I took inspiration from prompt 17 from here**

 _ **17\. Imagine person A walking out of the bathroom after a shower, half-naked and wreathed in steam, and B immediately dropping whatever they were holding. Bonus if it's an animal which gives them the stink eye before slinking away.**_

 **I have more written and I have some ideas for this story, but I already have two ongoing stories that I want to finish and move on from Japril. Also I think this ending suits the story pretty well. Let me know what do you think**

There are a few things that Jackson doesn't expect from life, for example, an alien invasion and robots conquering the world. And he doesn't expect a little kitten to follow him for half an hour. The little thing is a flurry ball of grey cuteness and nobody could resist the damm thing, not even cold as ice Jackson Avery. When the kitten realizes Jackson has stopped and is watching it, it meows pitifully with sad, round, huge, blue eyes. There is only one thing that Jackson can do after being faced with something like that, to swear profusely and take the damm thing. April is gonna love it, and Alex is gonna hate it, luckily for Jackson, Alex isn't at home

Weirdly enough, the little thing allowed Jackson to take it in his arms, actually it snuggled with Jackson as soon as Jackson took it. Months later, Jackson would look back at that moment as the moment that changed his life.  
After some calls, Jackson could get the day off, which left him with plenty of time to buy some basics for the kitten and get some phone numbers from some beautiful girls. By the time he got home it was breakfast time and he guessed April would be awake and ready, and she would know what to do with the little thing. He wasn't thinking clearly, if he had been he would have called before running in the flat with a nervous little cat.  
He was just looking for his best friend, when the aforementioned opened the bathroom room and appeared involved in a steam cloud and covered with what had to be the smallest towel in the world. He didn't have time to react, April sudden apparition and her yell took him by surprise, so he boggled and left the little cat fall. It was like seeing a train wreck, with a loud meow, the cat jumped and tried to grab something, that being April hand and the smallest towel in the world, the result was that the towel got stuck in the kitten nail, so when the thing started to run it dragged the towel with it. Not that the thing could ran too fast or go too far, it was still too little for such things, but Jackson and April were too shock to move. April just stayed there, with open wide eyes, trying to cover herself with her arms and hands. It wasn't enough, and Jackson wanted to do the chivalrous thing and don't look, he really did, but he just couldn't avert her gaze from her, he just couldn't do it because she was beautiful, a goddess with a perfect body, a beautiful face and messy, wet red hair. He was so shocked when her body started to react to her nakedness that he froze  
"Oh my god" she yelled before she retreated to the bathroom "Can you catch that thing?"  
"I'm on it" he answered, and even if it was a little uncomfortable at the beginning, he ran after the kitten. It had left a chaotic trail of chaos until it found a hiding place under the sofa. It was trembling, so Jackson talked with a soothing voice. It didn't work, so he tried with some treats, which didn't work either. Jackson was desperate and feeling guilty, after all he was the one who dropped it  
"Hey, have you found it?" The familiar voice of April sounded at his back, and for the first time since he met her, Jackson felt nervous at the prospect of talking with her  
"It doesn't want to go out"  
"Have you offered food?"  
"Of course I did..."  
"Then we have to wait, cats have a peculiar personality"  
"Have you ever have cats?"  
"Of course, the excellent hunters, therefore a great way to exterminate rats"  
"Of course, of course... I'm an idiot"  
He can hear April sighs at his back, so he knows she is getting ready for something, for what? He didn't know, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know because he could feel it in his bones, the dreaded conversation about him seeing her naked was coming  
"Jackson, you can look, I'm dressed..."  
And Jackson had guessed so, still he wasn't sure about looking at her, with his luck she would read clearly all the confusing, no platonic thoughts that were filling his head. But he had to look, he knew that much. So he did, and yes, she was wearing the typical April clothes, modest and simple, jeans and a flowered long sleeves shirt, nothing that showed her assets, the problem is he had already seen those assets and know he couldn't stop thinking about it  
"This is better, right?" She asks with her dimple smile, but no, it's not better, and Jackson had to wonder why she had to hide behind the old style clothes. Luckily for him, Jackson avoided answering to her thanks to the kitten apparition. "There you are! You are such a cuty little thing" she talks with the voice she usually reserves for babies and toddlers, but the kitten seems to love it because it allows her to grab it and manhandle it, she extends her arm and hold the kitten as if it were Sinba, the Lion King, and finally she exclaims "hey there little guy, you are a cute little guy, aren't you?"  
"He is a male, how do you know?"  
"Really Jackson? How do you think?"  
Yes, of course" Jackson feels so stupid, but in his defense he has to say that he has never had a pet, he wouldn't know how to look for... the differences. Also, right now, he can only think about April, naked April, and how unbecoming of him is to be thinking about his best friend in that way, his very innocent, shy, virgin best friend. And then she grazed his hand and asked  
"Hey, are you all right?"  
"What?"  
"You checked out on me there, what is the problem with you?"  
"Nothing, nothing, just seeking for a name for this little guy" Jackson takes the cat. Immediately the little guy snuggles in his arms and started to rub his head against Jackson's hand so Jackson started to pet him, and one second later April followed him suit, which seems to send the little cat to flow of purrs  
"Oh wow, he really likes you. Where does he come from?"  
"No idea, he just started to follow me and to meow... I had to take him" at that moment, Jackson made the mistake of looking at her, and she took his breath away with her beautiful, wide smile and that special spark in her eyes. As it happened all that day along, she remained ignorant of the effect she was having on him, which made him wonder how many times this has happened with another guy in another place, and that caused a twinge of jealousy that took him by surprise, although deep down he knew the jealousy and the lust were nothing new, they were just something that he started to acknowledge at that moment, rather, he was putting a name on them. It's starting to be too much, she was right there, besides him, he could smell her flowered scent, and she was so close he could feel the warm of her skin, and yet, it wasn't enough, he wanted to taste her, to touch her, to be inside her... Thousands of inappropriate images came to his mind, and he couldn't stop them. It's as if a closed door opened and everything that was in the other side crossed some metaphorical threshold, quickly and at the same time  
"Have you taken him to the vet?" She asks, but he can't answer, he knew his voice would be too hoarse and his eyes would tell the story of the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions he is having "hey, Jackson!"  
"What, no, no..." And yes, his voice didn't sound like his voice at all, and she knew it, but she only seemed to be worry and confused "are you getting sick? Is that why you came back?" Jackson rolls his eyes because only April would think that his weird behavior would be caused by a mysterious illness... That would be so easy, but life is never easy for Jackson, even with his second name being Avery  
"No, no..." She stayed silence, waiting for an answer "well, maybe" he hastily added because an illness is better than the alternative, that he was falling for his best friend fast and hard, at least that is what Jackson thinks  
"Oh, ok, in that case you can stay at home and I take this little guy to the veterinary, so we can make sure he is healthy, there is nobody looking for him, and in that case where can we take it?"  
That woke Jackson up from all his daydreaming. Take it? Take it where? That was the moment when he realized he didn't want to take the kitten anywhere, he wanted to keep him.  
"I want to keep him" April arched one eyebrow and looked at him as he grew up a second head "if Alex and you agree, that is"  
"Are you sure?" she asks after a few minutes of reflection  
"Yes I am" he nodded, even if he wasn't sure at all, even if he was acting only by instinct  
"Do you have any idea about how to take care of a kitten"  
"No, but I can google it... I can ask to the vet..."  
"And I can help you" she adds with her best smile, the one with the dimples and the sparkling eyes  
"Oh thanks god, do you mind?"  
"Of course I don't, I love cats and this little one has chosen you, it would be heartless to separate both of you now"  
"You are the best" he exclaimed one second before hugging her. And that hug was a bad idea. If Jackson thought he was feeling too many things before that, then he was in for a big surprise. It's overwhelming, all the things he had been feeling, having her in his arms, and knowing that he couldn't do anything about it, it was unbearable. He couldn't let her go, he just couldn't, so the embrace lasted too long, even for innocent, guidable April. She cleared her throat and said  
"Jackson? Could you..."  
"What?" He asked with that same scratchy voice that didn't sound like him at all, still in his own world of April  
"Could you let me go?" Now is Jackson turn of clearing his throat while he let her go  
"Of course" he said utterly uncomfortable. Then he looked at her face and saw that charming red tint coloring her cheeks, the way she was moving her hands, obviously flustered, and he realized with certain joy that April wasn't immune to his charms  
"So" she said awkwardly "I'm going to do my hair and make some calls and we can go"  
"As you wish" she blushed furiously, spun in her heels and disappeared in the hallway.  
Jackson was left alone with the cat as only company and wondering why he had to use such a cheesy line from such a cheesy movie, he shouldn't be flirting with her, he should be burying these new feelings deep down in his subconscious, where he hides all his deep, dark desires. And for the rest of the day he was successful in dulling his desire


End file.
